Bundle up. Bring in the firewood. Check the light in your pumphouse. Make a pot of soup.

The next week will bring bitterly cold weather today and Friday, followed by a daily chance of precipitation through Monday, the National Weather Service in Wakefield predicted on Wednesday.

After a chance of snow showers Wednesday night, the skies should clear and temperatures plummet, NWS said. High temperatures in the teens are forecast for today and Friday, with nightly lows in the single digits and wind chills at zero or below.

Saturday should bring a slight warmup, to 35 degrees (according to Wednesday’s forecast), with a chance of rain and sleet. The rain/sleet forecast continues into Sunday with the high rising to the 50s; then dropping again to the 30s on Monday, with a chance of rain or snow.

The long-range forecast predicts partial clearing by Tuesday with a high of 38. ...